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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — shares
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — a series
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. tube — a container
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — goods
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com